The Swedish government has made an announcement that it will end the majority of the Covid-19 restrictions and recommendations from February 9 onwards.
“It is time for Sweden to open up again. The pandemic is not over, but it has entered a completely new phase “Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson stated on Thursday.
The announcement came just two days after Denmark became the first country in the European Union to lift most Covid-19 restrictions, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Andersson attributed the decision to the alleged milder impact of the Omicron variant, increased vaccination coverage, and the hospital’s ability to handle the virus.
According to Lena Hallengren, the minister of health and social affairs, starting on February 9 there will be no limit on the number of people who can gather at restaurants, sports stadiums, and other events. It will no longer be required for people to work from home. In addition, visitors from other Nordic countries will have fewer restrictions on their travel.
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However, the recommendation to stay at home in the event of symptoms remains in effect for the time being.
Unvaccinated people will be given special instructions, such as avoiding large crowds.
The decision to lift most restrictions came just a month after Sweden was hit by a massive wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant.
As the number of daily confirmed cases reached new highs, the total number of confirmed infections in the country increased from slightly more than 1.3 million in December to 2.2 million in January.
Following the outbreak, many critical services experienced staff shortages as a result of an unusually high number of employees being off sick or quarantined because someone else in their household was infected.
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Due to staff shortages, the Swedish Police were forced to make contingency plans, and bus and train services were forced to cancel a large portion of their departures.
Many schools were also forced to close due to teachers falling ill.
Some experts believe that it’s still very early to lift restrictions. According to Fredrik Elgh, a virology professor at Umea University told Swedish Television the decision was made too soon.
Despite the fact that Europe is still reporting a large number of new cases, a top World Health Organization official in the region said on Thursday that the Omicron outbreak is giving the region a chance to control virus transmission and reach an “enduring peace” with the coronavirus.
Sweden’s overall Covid caseload and death toll stood at 2,259,656 and 16,063, respectively, as of Friday.
To date, 86.5 percent of those aged 12 and older have received at least the first dose of vaccine, with 83.6 percent receiving a second dose.
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